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28-476: Old Cathedral may refer to: A colloquial name for the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France Old Cathedral, Brescia Old Cathedral of Coimbra Old Cathedral of Cuenca Old Cathedral of Managua Old Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro Old Cathedral, Salamanca Old Saint Mary's Cathedral St. Francis Xavier Cathedral and Library , locally known as

56-513: A basilica , giving it the present name, the Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France . Shortly after, in 1963, the church was renovated by the prominent St. Louis architectural firm Murphy and Mackey. In 2015, the Basilica underwent a restoration, including: The current parish serves the needs of local parishioners, described as "few in number but strong in loyalty", along with working people and tourists. However, because of its location along

84-545: A bell given to the church by the governor of the territory of Louisiana during the early 19th century. Bishop Joseph Rosati , who ordered the construction of the church, is interred in a vault underneath the sanctuary. Bellefontaine Cemetery Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis , Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery , Bellefontaine has several architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as

112-485: A new cathedral, now the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, to mark this growth. The cornerstone of the church was laid by Rosati during a ceremony on August 1, 1831. The church was designed and built by the architectural firm of Laveille and Morton, among the first architectural firms west of the Mississippi River north of New Orleans . Construction was complete by late 1834. On Sunday, October 26, 1834,

140-558: A parish school for local immigrant children. He arranged care for disabled children and adults. Again due to the growth of the city, a larger church was consecrated in 1914 farther west of the current church, in the city's Central West End neighborhood. This larger church, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis , continues to serve as the seat of the archbishop of St. Louis . To recognize the original cathedral's significance, on January 27, 1961, Pope John XXIII designated it

168-474: A popular church for marriage ceremonies in the archdiocese (ranking second of 196 churches) and a popular tourist destination. When Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau established the city of St. Louis , they dedicated a plot of land west of Laclède's home for the purposes of the Catholic Church. The earliest Catholic records suggest that a tent was used by an itinerant priest in 1766, but by 1770

196-488: A public health hazard, as with miasma theory . These problems were compounded during mid-1849, when a cholera pandemic killed more than 4,000 people in the city. With existing cemeteries running out of space, and with many residents fearing that fumes from nearby cemeteries could cause them to fall ill, the drive to create a new cemetery gained pace. In 1849, the Rural Cemetery Association purchased

224-627: A small log house was built on the site. This building, consecrated by the Reverend Pierre Gibault, an itinerant priest, on June 24, 1770, was expanded in 1776 to include a log church. In spite of a more substantial structure, no priest permanently resided in the village of St. Louis until 1811. These buildings began to be replaced in 1818 with a brick structure, on the orders of the Bishop Louis William Valentine Dubourg . The brick structure

252-474: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Basilica of St. Louis, King of France The current structure (built 1831–1834) is located near the historic riverfront of St. Louis. It is surrounded by Gateway Arch National Park . However, the church is not part of the park. Because of the historical significance of the church, it was left intact while all neighboring buildings were demolished to make way for

280-506: The Anheusers , Buschs , Lemps , and Griesediecks . The cemetery steadily acquired more land for growth and, by 1865, had reached its permanent size of 314 acres (127 ha). In 1909, the St. Louis architectural firm Eames and Young was commissioned to design a new chapel. The Hotchkiss Chapel, named for the cemetery's first architect, was renovated in 2009, and an indoor columbarium

308-594: The Gateway Arch and related park. Rev. Nicholas Smith serves as Rector. The basilica serves as a personal parish church rather than a territorial parish church. It ranks 177th of 196 churches in number of Catholics per church in the Archdiocese of St. Louis . However, because of its historical significance (and its location along the Mississippi River near the iconic Arch), the basilica remains

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336-630: The Louis Sullivan -designed Wainwright Tomb , which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . The cemetery contains 314 acres (1.27 km ) of land and over 87,000 graves, including those of William Clark , Adolphus Busch , Thomas Hart Benton , Rush Limbaugh , and William S. Burroughs . It has many Union and Confederate soldiers from the American Civil War , and local and state politicians. It has

364-700: The Mississippi River and have Classical , Romanesque , Gothic , and Egyptian architectural styles. Mausoleums include the Wainwright Tomb , designed for Charlotte Dickson Wainwright by the famed Chicago school architect Louis Sullivan in 1892; the Busch Mausoleum, designed for Adolphus Busch and Lilly Anheuser by Barnett, Haynes & Barnett in 1915; and the Brown Brothers Mausoleums, designed in 1910 by Isaac Taylor and in 1928 by Mauran, Russell and Crowell . Many of

392-664: The Mississippi River and near the Gateway Arch (which provide backdrops for wedding photos) the church is often used for weddings, only ranking behind St. Francis Xavier College Church at Saint Louis University in the number of Catholic marriages in the archdiocese. Built in Greek Revival style, the church is noted for its marble altars, a painting of Saint Louis venerating the Crown of Thorns given by Louis XVIII , King of France and Navarre , and an accurate copy of

420-536: The Old Cathedral Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Old Cathedral . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Cathedral&oldid=610353797 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

448-485: The Rural Cemetery Association of St. Louis. This association sought to respond to the needs of the rapidly growing city by establishing a new cemetery several miles outside city limits. St. Louis was experiencing huge population growth during this time and city leaders thought that the existing graveyards, which were mostly concentrated along Jefferson Avenue near the city center, were an impediment to urban development. Many were also convinced that city cemeteries represented

476-519: The cathedral was consecrated at a ceremony featuring the local militia and parishioners. After the elevation of the Diocese of St. Louis to archdiocese status in 1847, the cathedral became home to an early chapter of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul , a Catholic charity for the indigent. Both Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick and St. Louis Mayor Bryan Mullanphy were counted among the founders of

504-499: The chapter, initially dedicated to assisting immigrants at a time of waves of immigration from Ireland and Germany, but later expanding to all St. Louis residents. The tradition of care for the poor and needy was carried on in the early 20th century after the appointment of the Reverend John Tannrath to head the church on September 5, 1915. Tannrath not only refurbished the rectory and church, but also reestablished

532-507: The current church. Additionally, Dubourg was influential in the establishment of St. Louis Academy (which later developed as Saint Louis University ) in a two-story brick building adjacent to the new church in 1818. Construction of the brick church was not complete until 1821. In 1826, population growth prompted the establishment of the Diocese of St. Louis . The first bishop of the St. Louis diocese, Joseph Rosati , began construction of

560-552: The engraving on the main entrance. An urban legend of unknown origin claims that "the letter Heth was substituted for the letter He , so the inscription merely reads yachuch , which has no meaning in Hebrew"; however, the letters in the inscription appear to indeed be He . The church basement has a number of artifacts associated with the history of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis , including

588-514: The former Hempstead family farm five miles northwest of the city, with the intent to turn it into a large rural cemetery , modeled after Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris and Mount Auburn Cemetery in Massachusetts . The association initially called it Rural Cemetery, but because the 138-acre (56 ha) Hempstead farm was along the road to Fort Belle Fontaine , ultimately named it after

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616-610: The fort. Within a few months, the Association had hired landscape architect Almerin Hotchkiss, who helped design Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn , to begin drafting and implementing a master plan for Bellefontaine. Hotchkiss became superintendent of the cemetery for the next 46 years, designed most of Bellefontaine's roadways and landscaping, and oversaw maintenance of the grounds. The first burial at Bellefontaine Cemetery

644-576: The largest collection of private and family mausoleums and sarcophagi in Missouri. The cemetery contains the graves of many prominent American pioneers , businesspeople, politicians, and generals who are significant figures in the history of St. Louis and the United States. Its oldest graves are from 1816, located on pioneer Edward Hempstead 's family lot. Many of the wealthiest families at Bellefontaine have ornate mausoleums which overlook

672-622: The painting of the Crucifixion by Diego Velázquez installed in the church in the latter half of the twentieth century. Engraved in gold over the entrance to the church are the words In honorem s. Ludovici. Deo uni et trino dicatum. A. MDCCCXXXIV , which translates as "In honor of St. Louis. Dedicated to the one and triune God. A.D. 1834". Hebrew letters, intended to spell out the Tetragrammaton , are also inscribed in Hebrew above

700-420: The several large family plots are marked by tall obelisk monuments with elaborate bases. Guided tours of the cemetery's main historical and architectural highlights are open to the public. Visitors can also obtain self-guided tour brochures at the cemetery office. On March 7, 1849, banker William McPherson and lawyer John Fletcher Darby assembled a group of some of St. Louis's most prominent citizens to found

728-746: Was added on the back. The chapel is used for weddings and memorial services. A new lakeside garden and columbarium were completed in 2010. Two new outdoor columbaria have opened for inurnments, and a green burial natural interment section is planned. With more than 100 acres (40 ha) of open, unused land, the cemetery has room for traditional casketed and vaulted ground burial for 200 years at current rates of usage. Some of this extra land has been converted into prairie and woodland. As of 2012, Bellefontaine Cemetery contained more than 87,000 graves, with about 100 added each year. It contains over 14 miles (23 km) of paved roads and has more than 180 species of trees and shrubs in an accredited arboretum. The cemetery

756-412: Was designed by Gabriel Paul. During Dubourg's tenure as bishop, many artifacts, paintings, and an organ were donated to the church. While the brick church was under construction, a cemetery was established near the building, in which many of the founders of St. Louis were interred. Most of the bodies were moved and reinterred during the 1840s and 1850s to Bellefontaine Cemetery , after the construction of

784-476: Was on April 27, 1850, and the official dedication was several weeks later. Older graves within St. Louis were reinterred to Bellefontaine, including some from the cemetery by the Old Cathedral near the Mississippi River . Bellefontaine had graves of several victims of the 1855 Gasconade Bridge train disaster , the worst railroad disaster in Missouri history. Several brewing families are interred, including

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